The Cleveland Guardians were widely expected to be sellers ahead of this year's trade deadline, as it was reported they would be looking to part ways with outfielder Steven Kwan, starting pitcher Shane Bieber and closer Emmanuel Clase.
Bieber was ultimately the only player who was dealt — and he is now rehabbing in the Toronto Blue Jays' minor-league system. But the Guardians remain firmly in the hunt for a playoff spot, sitting just one game behind the American League's third wild card place, which is currently occupied by the New York Yankees.
The Guardians have remained relatively healthy during their recent string of post-trade deadline performances (eight wins in 10 games since Aug. 1), but any reinforcements they can get from their short list of injured players will surely help down the stretch. The team most recently received positive news on the injury front involving outfielder Lane Thomas, its Opening Day starter in center field.
Thomas has dealt with a number of injuries already this season. He was initially placed on the injured list in late April with a bone bruise in his right wrist, which forced him to miss one month of action; he has since been sidelined twice with plantar fasciitis, per MLB.com's Tim Stebbens.
Thomas, though, appears to be making progress in his recovery. On Tuesday, Guardians manager Steven Vogt said that Thomas "is running and doing some baseball activities" and is both "feeling a lot better" and "progressing really well," according to MLB.com's injury and transaction updates page dedicated to the club. A separate update from RotoWire's staff indicated that Thomas could return in September.
Acquired by Cleveland in a 2024 trade with the Washington Nationals, Thomas has appeared in just 39 games this season, during which he has put together a .160/.246/.272 slash line with four home runs and 11 RBIs across 125 at-bats. He is set to be a free agent this winter.